Deaf students have difficult time with English tests

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JACKSON, Miss. - For all of Lynn Lane's 17 years, she has never once heard a spoken word. And more importantly, she has never heard the way words fit together to form the English language.

Deaf students like Lane who have relied their entire lives on the shorthand of sign language to communicate often have a tough time catching on to the subtleties of the written word, which can be as hard to pick up as a second language.

Yet in Mississippi and other parts of the nation, deaf students are required to pass the same assessment tests as their hearing counterparts to receive a high school diploma. Though they can usually pass subjects like history or algebra, English is the roadblock that routinely delays or prohibits their graduation.

Educators at the Mississippi School for the Blind and Deaf say no deaf student has ever passed the English assessment test on the first try. The overall first-try pass rate for hearing and disabled students is 83.1 percent.

''These tests are grossly unfair to deaf students. Hearing children are exposed to so much English language from birth. Deaf students don't get that exposure to English,'' said Jean Andrews, director of graduate programs in deaf studies/deaf education at Lamar University in Texas.

Sign language is visual, and isn't always translated word for word into English.

For instance, you wouldn't sign the phrase ''raining cats and dogs'' verbatim. Instead, the phrase would be signed ''raining heavily.'' But if a student never heard the phrase, how could he or she know what it means? Experts say the average deaf child isn't introduced to English until age 6, upon entering school.

Historically, deaf students have had a hard time taking standardized achievement tests, particularly in reading, said Ross Mitchell, a research scientist at Gallaudet Research Institute at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C.

The institute conducts a national study of the performance of deaf and hard-of-hearing students on standardized tests. Mitchell said many of those students do not demonstrate high-school level reading ability. He said in 2003 more than two-thirds of 18-year-olds and three-fourths of 17-year-olds nationally were reading below the high school level.

''From the standpoint of measurement, there are a lot of questions about whether or not the tests that states have adopted are appropriate for special populations,'' Mitchell said. ''You don't compel students by law to show up to school only to denigrate them.''

The Mississippi school is appealing to state officials to allow deaf students to use a thesaurus, an accommodation made for non-English speaking students in the school system, such as Latinos and Vietnamese.

That way, if a deaf student saw a word for which there is no sign, such as ''gorgeous,'' he or she could refer to the thesaurus and find ''beautiful,'' a word that might be recognizable, said Dana Campbell, director of technology and public relations at the deaf school.

Lane excels in most subjects. She earned five A's and a B (in English) on her last progress report. She has passed nearly all the assessment tests required to graduate in May, including biology, U.S. history and math. But she has yet to pass the vocabulary multiple choice portion of the English test. The last time she took it, she scored 299, lacking one point to pass. She has taken the test at least four times.

''When I read the complete sentence, sometimes I might have overlooked some kind of idiom or figurative language I don't understand,'' Lane said through an interpreter. ''I really struggle with that and I have to make up an answer.''

Lane said she could ace the test if an interpreter was allowed to ''bridge'' or translate the vocabulary into sign language.

The Mississippi Department of Education allows interpreters to translate portions of all tests except the vocabulary and reading.

Kris Kasse, director of student assessment for the state public school system, said the tests are designed to show mastery, and too many accommodations could thwart the intent.

''If we're giving a math test in the third grade and I get you a multiplication table, you're not showing that you know how to multiply. It's the same issue,'' Kasse said.

All students can take the English test up to 10 times. The students can remain at the deaf school until they are 21.

In neighboring Alabama, deaf students must pass the Alabama High School Graduation Exam to receive a diploma. The students at the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind in Talladega are allowed unlimited retakes up to the age of 21, said Lynne Hanner, the school's director of institutional advancement.

They also struggle with English, Hanner said.

In addition to the test, Alabama deaf students must take four additional language units than hearing students to address the English problem, Hanner said.

As of June, only two of the 16 deaf seniors had received high school diplomas. Two others returned to the school this summer to earn the degrees.

Hanner said deaf educators walk a fine line. They want the students to have a fair playing field without depending on a crutch.

''That's the bottom line of what we want here. They have to believe in themselves,'' Hanner said. ''Overcoming language barriers, that's the challenge.''

By Shelia Hardwell Byrd
The Associated Press
http://www.sltrib.com/nationworld/ci_2424889
 
ASL insult

I think it's a bit of an insult (to ASL) to call sign "shorthand"

Trying to make sign "more like English" failed, oralism is not a solution for everyone, So how do we fill the gap of making sure deaf students can communicate in English?

There are ASL clubs for hearies learning sign. What about English writing clubs for people who are deaf?

Of course you can't do anything if someone doesn't WANT to learn English.
 
I believe it lies at home -- deaf children should be encouraged to read books from a very young age at home...and continue in that vein throughout school and beyond.
It helped me...I spent my childhood watching my mother read book after book at night times and I picked up that habit and started reading books. First book was Stephen King's 'Carrie' when I was about 7.

Also, I believe that english teachers should encourage deaf children to read more and do more book reports and the sorts, to keep them up to par with the english skills. Just my 2 cents and my opinon. :)
 
PurpleRose71 said:
I believe it lies at home -- deaf children should be encouraged to read books from a very young age at home...and continue in that vein throughout school and beyond.
It helped me...I spent my childhood watching my mother read book after book at night times and I picked up that habit and started reading books. First book was Stephen King's 'Carrie' when I was about 7.

Also, I believe that english teachers should encourage deaf children to read more and do more book reports and the sorts, to keep them up to par with the english skills. Just my 2 cents and my opinon. :)
Click to expand...
I remember as if it was yesterday, my English Teacher spent half an hour yelling at my class mates except me that they didn't bother to read books during the summer holiday!

Its up to Parent's choice if they want their children to read books or not.
School library are boring to read, as its nothing to get their attention to hook with.

Also books today is not cheap to buy!
 
Excuses

Many people who hear, also have bad English skills for the same reasons, they don't read.

Often they just try to write like they speak... and do not speak English well.

Reading is the solution for both deaf and hearing who want to have better English.

I've heard the exact excuse from both deaf and hearing "This is how my friends talk, why do I need to learn different?"
 
I agree. The problem is not the language itself, but the lack of motivation to read. Deaf children should be encouraged to read at a young age so they could reinforce better English skills. And parents should take the responsibility to offer encouragement.

We need smarter deaf people!
 
Never read books at home at all other than school books from school. When I was very young and old enough to read books my mom never once gave me a book for me to read. I'm in my 30s and now when I look back I wish I did. Even now I can't do it because it doesn't interest me at all. Sad huh? Funny, my english has gotten a lot better since I graduated from NTID and that was 7 years ago. It's just because I got help from my husband, my friends, on-line friends (by email and instant messenger) and plus the forums. I admit I have ways to go, but I'm trying to keep it up.
 
Books not only improve reading and writing skills but they also open new worlds of knowledge. There is so much to know about people, places, ideas, events, etc. Reading books is the best way to increase knowledge.

When I was a kid, I couldn't afford to buy books. I walked to the children's library in town and read all the books there. Then I got permission to use the adult library and read as many books as possible. Sometimes I would stay up all night to finish an interesting book. Sometimes I would go to my grandmother's house and read the old books that she had. Each week she would go to her town library and bring back beautiful large art books to look at. It was an easy pleasant way to learn about all the great artists.

I encourage all parents to read to their children, take them to the library, and buy them books for their birthdays (instead of video games). There are many, many interesting topics to choose from. Sometimes the "bargain" tables at Barnes & Noble or Books A Million have the best books.
 
I think part of it goes to the type of sign language used. I've seen students here who spent their entire life using ASL. I've seen a few who love reading books, but their grammar still suck and they still use ASL. We shouldn't be blaming only one thing like "blame ASL", "blame the parents", or "blame the schools". They should be blaming the whole system in general. Deaf kids should develop word-for-word skills by using SEE (Signing Exact English), then apply it at home with their parents as much as possible, along with reading books and watching good shows on television with captioning. Altogether, that would greatly improve the English level for these students. My reading speed used to be very slow. When I first got captioning, I was addicted to television and catching up on shows that I never saw captioned. A year later, my reading speed greatly improved. Now, I read extremely fast. I used SEE for 13 years (kindergarten to 12th grade). I communicated a lot with my parents. My interpreters used SEE.
 
actually ASL really have hide to covert from ASL to english, Some people didn't know that ASL is really inside of english to make a full sentence. No one know what the ASL structes under the english. it is really sad for that. I am one of them having english weaker in school subject.
 
"Deaf Students Struggle with English to get Diplomas"

Deaf students struggle with English to get diplomas

http://www.cnn.com/2004/EDUCATION/10/22/a.matter.of.english.ap/index.html

Friday, October 22, 2004 Posted: 2:28 PM EDT (1828 GMT)

JACKSON, Mississippi (AP) -- For all of Lynn Lane's 17 years, she has never once heard a spoken word. And more importantly, she has never heard the way words fit together to form the English language.

Deaf students like Lane who have relied their entire lives on the shorthand of sign language to communicate often have a tough time catching on to the subtleties of the written word, which can be as hard to pick up as a second language.

Yet in Mississippi and other parts of the nation, deaf students are required to pass the same assessment tests as their hearing counterparts to receive a high school diploma. Though they can usually pass subjects like history or algebra, English is the roadblock that routinely delays or prohibits their graduation.

Educators at the Mississippi School for the Blind and Deaf say no deaf student has ever passed the English assessment test on the first try. The overall first-try pass rate for hearing and disabled students is 83.1 percent.

"These tests are grossly unfair to deaf students. Hearing children are exposed to so much English language from birth. Deaf students don't get that exposure to English," said Jean Andrews, director of graduate programs in deaf studies/deaf education at Lamar University in Texas.

Sign language is visual, and isn't always translated word for word into English.

For instance, you wouldn't sign the phrase "raining cats and dogs" verbatim. Instead, the phrase would be signed "raining heavily." But if a student never heard the phrase, how could he or she know what it means? Experts say the average deaf child isn't introduced to English until age 6, upon entering school.

Historically, deaf students have had a hard time taking standardized achievement tests, particularly in reading, said Dr. Ross Mitchell, a research scientist at Gallaudet Research Institute at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C.

The institute conducts a national study of the performance of deaf and hard-of-hearing students on standardized tests. Mitchell said many of those students do not demonstrate high-school level reading ability. He said in 2003 more than two-thirds of 18-year-olds and three-fourths of 17-year-olds nationally were reading below the high school level.

"From the standpoint of measurement, there are a lot of questions about whether or not the tests that states have adopted are appropriate for special populations," Mitchell said. "You don't compel students by law to show up to school only to denigrate them."

Vocabulary gaps

The Mississippi school is appealing to state officials to allow deaf students to use a thesaurus, an accommodation made for non-English speaking students in the school system, such as Hispanics and Vietnamese.

That way, if a deaf student saw a word for which there is no sign, such as "gorgeous," he or she could refer to the thesaurus and find "beautiful," a word that might be recognizable, said Dana Campbell, director of technology and public relations at the deaf school.

Lane excels in most subjects. She earned five A's and a B (in English) on her last progress report. She has passed nearly all the assessment tests required to graduate in May, including biology, U.S. History and math. But she has yet to pass the vocabulary multiple choice portion of the English test. The last time she took it, she scored 299, lacking one point to pass. She has taken the test at least four times.

"When I read the complete sentence, sometimes I might have overlooked some kind of idiom or figurative language I don't understand," Lane said through an interpreter. "I really struggle with that and I have to make up an answer."

Lane said she could ace the test if an interpreter was allowed to "bridge" or translate the vocabulary into sign language.

The Mississippi Department of Education allows interpreters to translate portions of all tests except the vocabulary and reading.

Kris Kasse, director of student assessment for the state public school system, said the tests are designed to show mastery, and too many accommodations could thwart the intent.

"If we're giving a math test in the third grade and I get you a multiplication table, you're not showing that you know how to multiply. It's the same issue," Kasse said.

All students can take the English test up to 10 times. The students can remain at the deaf school until they are 21.

Overcoming language barriers

In neighboring Alabama, deaf students must pass the Alabama High School Graduation Exam to receive a diploma. The students at the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind in Talladega are allowed unlimited retakes up to the age of 21, said Lynne Hanner, the school's director of institutional advancement.

They also struggle with English, Hanner said.

In addition to the test, Alabama deaf students must take four additional language units than hearing students to address the English problem, Hanner said.

As of June, only two of the 16 deaf seniors had received high school diplomas. Two others returned to the school this summer to earn the degrees.

Hanner said deaf educators walk a fine line. They want the students to have a fair playing field without depending on a crutch.

"That's the bottom line of what we want here. They have to believe in themselves," Hanner said. "Overcoming language barriers, that's the challenge."

Andrews, the Texas professor who is working on reading projects for the deaf in Alabama and Louisiana, said accountability is another issue.

"We do need to do a better job of teaching English to deaf students," she said.

Mississippi recently applied its accountability standards to the deaf school. The school's six seniors last spring received completion certificates, not diplomas. The reading challenge discourages some from seeking a diploma, school officials say.

Andrews said she's working with the Louisiana School for the Deaf on projects to understand deaf students' reading comprehension ability by studying their reading errors and assisting deaf students in translating English text into sign language.

And what began as a pilot project at the Mississippi school in 1995 is now being used in more than 40 states. Sandra Edwards, an instructor at the Mississippi school, is the co-creator of Fairview Learning. With it, instructors teach students the different signs for each definition of multi-meaning words. Edwards' father was deaf, but she is not. She said there's no substitute for parental involvement.

"If parents would learn to sign, that would make a difference," she said.

In Arizona, the deaf school graduating class of 2006 will be the first required to pass state proficiency tests, said Doris Woltman, superintendent for Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and Blind.

The schools, which serve 2,000 students, are in wait-and-see mode, Woltman said. An accountability specialist for the schools has been studying student test scores.

"Writing is an area of improvement," Woltman said.
 
I always thought that ASL was a direct word for word translation of English, why don't they make ASL more like speaking English?

Also, I was raised on lots of books too, my mom was an avid reader and always took us to the library and we would get loads of books and read them all! I developed a love for reading then. We got to where we had to go to new libraries because we had read all of the books at one particular one. LOL! My brother and I used to walk to the library in the middle of winter with lots of snow on the ground after school if our car wasn't working at the time, and we did this for fun! LOL! No one made us! LOL! I still love reading. :)

 
Making ASL like English is... SEE. (Signing Exact English)
 
VamPyroX said:
Making ASL like English is... SEE. (Signing Exact English)
Click to expand...

I agree with Vampy. It's not so hard to understand. Start with SEE and they'll be more prepared when they enter school without having to struggle harder. It's just complicating the whole language dilemma. Why not make a workshop for deaf parents at local deaf schools to encourage them to read?

Also, read, read, read, read, read, read. It doesn't matter how young. Just get them interested and use SEE along with reading. They'll catch up faster. Who has boohoed that they were taught SEE and not ASL? You can learn it later for your social life, but children have to know a little simpler. It's like they start out with ASL and you drop a Japanese book on their desk and tell them to read.

People become fluent in other languages if they engage in it and care enough. If deaf people want to learn ASL later, they'll make their time to learn to make it fluent. If they can't fully achieve ASL, then what harm will it do? It'll diminish the culture, but is that more important than your learning to read? I say not. You'll be more ahead. We still have Latin, but it's useless for a conversation today. So what? Bye bye Latin, but it's still learnt in some schools.

I don't like the lady in the article saying it's unfair, and I agree with the principal that it will destroy the whole point of taking the test. Too much pity on her students. I don't like teachers like her who sound like they're saying, "Poor you, you don't need to because you're less than average, and I know you can't learn more like the rest of society." Then deaf students start to believe they can't do it and should be treated more handicapped. I passed it all and took 2 classes mandatorily for 2 that I didn't pass the first time, but that's okay. I still felt proud and learnt more.

It has nothing to do with oralism, but why do you think parents are opting for cochlear implants, oral schools or teaching them on their own? Because deaf school system suck and lack skills. They know that ASL is gonna make things harder. A deaf school did not accept or want me in their school because I knew too much and spoke too much. What message is that sending? That the school is for kids with less average brains. It's so sad.
 
I would agree more with VamPyroX. Starting out with SEE, then eventually add ASL as secondary language. In other countries, they were required to learn English first THEN learn their own language. Again, ASL is NOT A WRITTEN language, yet can be used as a tool to teach English. However, the usage of ASL limits the exposure of English language to deaf community. When SEE is used, it would be effortless for hearing without ASL knowledge to express themselves more directly to the deaf community. Yet, SEE isn't the only solution, as there are another tools that might help as well.

I grew up reading Encyclopedias since I was around 7 years old. My parent established an incentative that I COULDN'T resist, an hour additional of "up time" past bed time ONLY if I read something in my bedroom. With nothing else to read, my parent put up a shelf of Encyclopedia and childcraft in my bedroom. Every night I would think up of a subject, pull out a book and put on table next to me, then would read it until it's time to turn lights off. Like Reba mentioned before, it also increases knowledge. With knowledge, you will be able to analyze how English language themselves work. Yet, I was still poor with writing skills until my dad told me to write like I sign (That was when I used SEE back in old days) then from that point, my writing skills drastically improved.

Discipline. My father used to punish me by making me to write down vocabularies and definitions out of dictionary. Maybe say to start out with 10, then for every occurence, gain by 10 words.

Travelling, when we used to travel from Texas to Georgia, then to NewYork then back to Texas, my mom used to put game books, riddles, crosswords, and various of games that require words or letters. We played and read those books constantly and it sure did kill time so fast. A good way to educate while travelling. :)

Parents. My parent also know how to sign, thus a big boost in my ability to learn even at home. Like VamPyroX says before, it's the WHOLE system, not just certain spot, department or institution. Total communication has to occur EVERYWHERE using them as an exposure of English language to the deaf society.

Interpretation of music. My mom used to interpret music to me. My very first music that my mom interpreted was "Ruby, please don't take your love to town", and when the music were over, my mom explained what it meant, and pointed out which words seems to rhyme, or author's intention of these lyrics. After that point, I started to read poetry (Childcraft is a GOOD book to start with -- it also have poems in) from childcraft, Encyclopedias and eventually started to go to library and studied poetry. Now I write pretty good poems.


Educational TV. History, Discovery, PBS, and similiar channels are a GOOD source of information. It also can teach deaf population on how a certain subject is presented mostly with visual aid. With indepth knowledge of English language, these channels become easier to understand, thus resulting into more knowledge. The more you know about English language, the better you will be able to comprehend things that these channels are trying to educate or to inform about something.


Education institutions. It is imperative that deaf child's retention level are up to date, not over nor under. It is parent's responsibility to ask their child if they are learning something, to quickly test their knowledge, to determine if thier child has the desire to learn more and that they are taught sufficiently to their ability to do so. My recommendation would be if they are not challenged, then mainstreaming into the public school would be a choice where teachers in those public schools teach thier children without hesitation where teachers in deaf school often hestitate to challenge deaf child because they think that they are "inferiors". We can't blame deaf school teachers for doing that because they're in different culture. Deaf teachers would be nice to use, but not very many of them are out there. Anyway, my point is to make sure that the deaf children are fed accordingly to thier mental needs, like food to our health needs.



I guess I've said enough for now, yet so much more to suggest.
 
The problems lies at home and not specifically target at deaf children but children who don't speak english at all. Parents need to encourage their children to read and write english at home as well as ASL, Spanish, Japenese etc etc.
 
Let's make one thing clear.

Learn to Read!

Here's what I believe:
Between 0 to 5 years old, it is the parents' responsibility to raise and teach their children how to read at an early age.

Between 6 to 18 years old and in the order of priority, it is the parents', the Deaf child's, and the school's responsibility to make sure the Deaf child learns the English language.

Between 19 years old until death, it is ultimately the Deaf individual's responsibilty to learn English.

While I love ASL and support its use as a first language, learning English as a second language is recommended for making sure the hearing people learn to deal with Deaf people legally. I often use my argument with hearing services or people: "I have learned your language to put up with you, now, please learn to use ASL or interpreter services or put up with me!"
 
Deaf258 said:
Let's make one thing clear.

Learn to Read!

Here's what I believe:
Between 0 to 5 years old, it is the parents' responsibility to raise and teach their children how to read at an early age.

Between 6 to 18 years old and in the order of priority, it is the parents', the Deaf child's, and the school's responsibility to make sure the Deaf child learns the English language.

Between 19 years old until death, it is ultimately the Deaf individual's responsibilty to learn English.

While I love ASL and support its use as a first language, learning English as a second language is recommended for making sure the hearing people learn to deal with Deaf people legally. I often use my argument with hearing services or people: "I have learned your language to put up with you, now, please learn to use ASL or interpreter services or put up with me!"
Click to expand...
:werd:

Watch television more often with close captioning. Read newspaper articles. Read more books. There's always "Harry Potter"! :thumb:
 
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